Paneer Tikka Masala Recipe - Tikka Masala Gravy

Paneer Tikka Masala is a rich and flavourful and easy Paneer recipe that I make very often at home. Paneer Tikka masala recipe finds it's inspiration from popular British Curry Chicken Tikka Masala. Mildly spiced and aromatic best paneer curry recipe to serve with Naan or Rice.

It was interesting to learn that chicken tikka masala is actually a British curry and not an Indian recipe :). So technically the recipe of paneer tikka masala too is British. If you see any Indian restaurant menu in the UK or USA, most of the chances are you will see paneer tikka masala gravy on the menu. You can guess the popularity of this paneer recipe when you see name prefixed in various Burger or Pizza places. 

I usually do not cook heavy curries, but for get-togethers, parties and rare days when we want to eat some good food I cook paneer tikka masala at home. Actually, I make a double batch of restaurant style paneer tikka first. This Paneer tikka is best starter/appetiser and the rest of the paneer goes into making Paneer tikka masala gravy.

I make curry sauce for tikka masala with onion and tomatoes as a base. Then go on to add yogurt, cream and nuts to give it a rich texture. In this paneer curry recipe, normally cashew is used to give it creamy and nutty taste. But, in this gravy recipe, I use soaked and peeled almonds as a substitution as I like the taste better. You can use the same gravy for making chicken tikka masala as well. 

The creamy and delicious Paneer curry with Naan is a classic combination, but sometimes you can just eat it like that too. Why parties, you can always double batch of Paneer tikka than the required for the tikka masala paneer curry recipe. You can keep paneer tikka in the fridge and use it as a starter, sandwich and wraps filling or even in salads.

It is best to leave the paneer in the marinade for some time to soak in all the flavours of spices before grilling the paneer. The number of spices adds to the deep aromatic flavours to your dish.

I tell you Guys that this is best paneer tikka masala gravy to mop up with Naan, Tandoori roti or jeera rice. You can also serve it with Jeera rice for lunch or dinner. Also, you can directly grill marinated paneer over a low flame if you do not want to make it in tandoor or oven. To save some time and effort, I mostly grill it in the oven, which gives it the perfect smoky flavour.

The hung curd used for marinade can also be made at home and you can also use it to make hung curd sandwich if you make some extra.

Usually, when you eat this rich paneer curry in the restaurants, the deep red colour which comes from food colours.  I did not add any food colour to the recipe, because degi mirch powder or Kashmiri red chilli powder gives bright orange colour to the gravy. The colour is not as deep red, but the deep hue of orange is good too. 

Tips for Making Best Paneer Tikka Masala Recipe

• Fresh Ingredients with good quality make a lot of difference in terms of taste and look of the dish. Homemade paneer or homemade yogurt tastes better than anything else. I use full-fat versions of both, as more often than not this is indulgence food for us.
• The colour of the Paneer tikka masala gravy comes from the use of ripe red tomatoes and Kashmiri red chilli powder/degi mirch instead of regular one.
• Marinate the paneer with spices for a minimum of one hour to absorb the flavours.

If you love paneer like I do, you may like to try these delicious paneer curry recipes too, Kadahi Paneer recipe, Aloo Matar Paneer Curry,  Methi Malai Paneer , Paneer Steak on Potato Masala , Paneer Butter Masala ,  Paneer Kofta Curry, Paneer Tikka in Microwave and many more tasty Paneer Recipes from my tasty curry.

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How to make Paneer tikka masala Recipe

Paneer Tikka Masala Recipe

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Course: curry, Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, indian cuisine, punjabi

Ingredients

• 300 gm cubed paneer
• 1 inch ginger grated
• ½ cup yoghurt curd
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• teaspoon ½kasuri methi
• For Gravy!
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 Onion sliced big
• 4 Tomatoes cut into chunks
• 1 inch piece ginger
• 2 green chillies slit
• 1-2 Tbsp cream
• salt
• 2 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
• 10-12 almonds soaked and peeled
• ¼ capsicum chopped fine

Instructions

• First start with making Paneer Tikka.
• Marinate the cubed paneer in a marinade made by mixing ingredients from marinade list and mixing it. Coat the cubed paneer in the marinade and keep it for marinating for 1-2 hours in the fridge. You can keep it for longer duration to add more flavour.
• Grill these paneer grills on a tawa/griddle or in oven at 180C for 15-20 minutes.
• To prepare the gravy, Heat 1tbsp butter in a pan and cook sliced onion, ginger, green chili in the the butter till tomatoes are mushy.
• Now allow this mix to cool and then grind to make a fine paste.
• Now add soaked almonds and capsicum and again grind to a fine paste.
• Heat another tablespoon of butter and add ground masala paste in the pan.
• Add 1-2 teaspoon of red chili powder and cook some more.
• Add 2 tablespoon of curd and cook on slow medium fire for 4-5 minutes, keep stirring it in between.
• When masala is cooked add ½ cup of water and add paneer tikka in gravy.
• Cook covered for another few minutes and add 1-2 tablespoon of fresh milk cream.
• Stir to combine and serve steaming bowl of Paneer Tikka Masala with Naan.